Image Processing

in Matlab
An Introductory Approach
by
Sabih D. Khan
sabih@gmx.fr
Image Processing
Image Processing generally involves extraction
of useful information from an image.
This useful information may be the dimensions
of an engineering component, size of diagnosed
tumor, or even a 3D view of an unborn baby.
In Pakistan the main areas of application of
Image Processing are Bio-Medical, Engineering,
Quality Control, etc.
Matlab
Matlab is an abbreviation of Matrix Laboratory.
It is a popular Mathematical Programming Environment used
extensively in Education as well as in Industry.
The trick behind Matlab is that everything is represented in the
form of arrays or matrices.
Mathematical Operations starting from simple algebra to complex
calculus may be conveniently carried out using this environment.
The main use of Matlab in Software Development is Algorithm
Design and Development.
Code developed in Matlab can be converted into C, C++ or Visual
C++.
Additionally Matlab may be called as ActiveX Object from still
higher level languages like Visual Basic, etc.
Matlab Basics
Matrix Declaration:
Simple Declaration
Null Matrix
Matrix with Ones
Identity Matrix
Random Matrix
Vector Matrix
Scalar Matrix
Matrix Arithmetic:
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Matlab Basics (Continued)
Matrix Manipulation:
Addressing of individual element
Complete Row Addressing
Complete Column Addressing
Trnaspose
Fliplr and Flipud
Saving and Loading Data
Concept of Function and m-Files
Concept of Path
Matlab Basics
Useful Commands:
Whos
Help
Clear
Path
Cd
Dir
lookfor
Image Processing in Matlab
Images can be conveniently represented as matrices in Matlab.
One can open an image as a matrix using imread command.
The matrix may simply be m x n form or it may be 3 dimensional
array or it may be an indexed matrix, depending upon image type.
The image processing may be done simply by matrix calculation or
matrix manipulation.
Image may be displayed with imshow command.
Changes image may then be saved with imwrite command.
Image Types in Matlab
Outside Matlab images may be of three types i.e. black
& white, grey scale and colored.
In Matlab, however, there are four types of images.
Black & White images are called binary images,
containing 1 for white and 0 for black.
Grey scale images are called intensity images,
containing numbers in the range of 0 to 255 or 0 to 1.
Colored images may be represented as RGB Image or
Indexed Image.
Image Types in Matlab(Continued)
In RGB Images there exist three indexed images.
First image contains all the red portion of the image, second
green and third contains the blue portion.
So for a 640 x 480 sized image the matrix will be 640 x 480 x 3.
An alternate method of colored image representation is Indexed
Image.
It actually exist of two matrices namely image matrix and map
matrix.
Each color in the image is given an index number and in image
matrix each color is represented as an index number.
Map matrix contains the database of which index number
belongs to which color.
Image Type Conversion
RGB Image to Intensity Image (rgb2gray)
RGB Image to Indexed Image (rgb2ind)
RGB Image to Binary Image (im2bw)
Indexed Image to RGB Image (ind2rgb)
Indexed Image to Intensity Image (ind2gray)
Indexed Image to Binary Image (im2bw)
Intensity Image to Indexed Image (gray2ind)
Intensity Image to Binary Image (im2bw)
Intensity Image to RGB Image (gray2ind, ind2rgb)
Image Histogram
There are a number of ways to get statistical information about
data in the image.
Image histogram is on such way.
An image histogram is a chart that shows the distribution of
intensities in an image.
Each color level is represented as a point on x-axis and on y-axis
is the number instances a color level repeats in the image.
Histogram may be view with imhist command.
Sometimes all the important information in an image lies only in a
small region of colors, hence it usually is difficult to extract
information out of that image.
To balance the brightness level, we carryout an image processing
operation termed histogram equalization.
Image Segmentation
In image processing useful pixels in the image are separated from
the rest by a process called image segmentation.
Brightness Threshold and Edge detection are the two most common
image segregation techniques.
In brightness threshold, all the pixels brighter than a specified
brightness level are taken as 1 and rest are left 0.
In this way we get a binary image with useful image as 1 and
unwanted as 0.
In edge detection special algorithms are used to detect edges of
objects in the image.
Edge Detection
Edge detection extract edges of objects from an image.
There are a number of algorithms for this, but these may
be classified as derivative based or gradient based.
In derivative based edge detection the algorithm takes
first or second derivative on each pixel in the image.
In case of first derivative at the edge of the image there
is a rapid change of intensity.
While in case of second derivative there is a zero pixel
value, termed zero crossing.
In gradient based edge detection a gradient of
consecutive pixels is taken in x and y direction.
Edge Detection (Continued)
Edge Detection (Continued)
Taking derivative on each and every pixel of the
image consumes a lot of computer resources
and hence is not practical.
So usually an operation called kernel operation
is carried out.
A kernel is a small matrix sliding over the image
matrix containing coefficients which are
multiplied to corresponding image matrix
elements and their sum is put at the target pixel.
Sobel Edge Detection
In sobel following formulas are applied on each pixel(i,j) in the image and
two matrices Sx and Sy are obtained:
Sx = (a2 + ca3 +a4) - (a0 + ca7 + a6)
Sy = (a0 + ca1 + a2) (a6 + ca5 + a4)
C=2
Alternatively this can be done by applying following two kernels:

The resultant matrix is then obtained by taking the square root of the sum
of the squares of Sx and Sy, as follows:
M(i,j) = ( Sx2 + Sy2 )1/2
Prewitt Edge Detection
In Prewitt everything is same but C=1:
Sx = (a2 + ca3 +a4) - (a0 + ca7 + a6)
Sy = (a0 + ca1 + a2) (a6 + ca5 + a4)
C=1
Alternatively this can be done by applying following two kernels:

The resultant matrix is then obtained by taking the square root of

the sum of the squares of Sx and Sy, as follows:
M(i,j) = ( Sx2 + Sy2 )1/2
Morphological Operations
These are image processing operations done on
binary images based on certain morphologies or
shapes.
The value of each pixel in the output is based on
the corresponding input pixel and its neighbors.
By choosing appropriately shaped neighbors
one can construct an operation that is sensitive
to a certain shape in the input image.
Simple Morphological Operations
Bridge bridges unconnected pixels.
Clean removes isolated pixels.
Fill fills isolated interior pixels.
Majority sets a pixel 1 if five or more pixels in 3x3
neighborhood are 1s.
Remove removes interior pixels by setting pixels to
zero if its 4 neighbors are 1, thus leaving only boundary
pixels on.
Shrink shrinks object to a point.
Diagonal Fill fills diagonal elements to eliminate 8
connectivity with background.
Morphological Operation
Skeletonize
It creates skeleton of an object, by removing pixels on
the boundaries but does not allow objects to break
apart.
It is an extremely important operation in image
processing as it removes complexities from an image
without loosing details.
Erosion & Dilation
These are the most fundamental of binary morphological
operations.
In dilation if any pixel in the input pixels neighborhood is
on, the output pixel is on otherwise off.
In actual dilation grows the area of the object. Small
holes in the object are removed.
In erosion if every pixel in the input pixels neighborhood
is on the output pixel is on otherwise off
This in actual works as shrinking the objects area, thus
small isolated regions disappear.